LIVING IN A BOX

 by Phillip Starr

In 2016 I traveled to Japan and among other things, met two world-renowned martial arts teachers who really impressed me.

Naka Tetsuya (Naka is his family name) was, at the time of our meeting, a 7^th dan instructor for the Japan Karate Association (shotokan style). Having starred in several movies such as Kuro-Obi (a really good movie) and High Kick Girl, he is very popular in Japan. He is also famous for his lethal lunging thrust which is lightning fast and impossible to evade. My student, Hiro, and I arrived during the children's class after which was the black belt class, which involved about 40 yudansha.

After some warming up exercises, they proceeded to practice basic techniques and I noticed something very peculiar about a particular body movement that he was emphasizing. I turned to Hiro,,,”That's not standard shotokan...it's Chinese! From an internal style! WHERE did he learn that?” The odd movement was very subtle such that only an internal stylist might notice it. After class ended, Naka sensei walked up and greeted us with his boyish smile that lights up his entire countenance. To my surprise, he spoke some English. Hiro introduced me and explained that Wang Shujin (an internal stylist who moved to Japan in the 50's and quickly gained recognition as an invincible fighter...he is all but worshipped in Japan as a great martial arts hero) is my kung-fu uncle. Naka sensei giggled and said that when he was younger, he'd trained with one of Wang's senior students. I told him that that made us kung-fu cousins! He smiled broadly.

Unlike most shotokan (JKA) stylists of his generation, Naka sensei makes frequent trips to Okinawa to train and compare notes with various Okinawan karate masters. He has said that he wants to know what else is out there; what did the masters of past generations know? How far can he go? He even visited a famous kung-fu master in Okinawa who is held in the highest regard by Okinawan karate masters (Miyahira Tamotsu) to train with him.

Hino Akira is a world-famous martial arts genius who has researched many ancient martial arts texts and rediscovered numerous principles that have been long forgotten or misunderstood. Hino sensei and I bonded almost immediately. Always smiling and laughing, he explained some of the material he's researched but lamented the fact that many (perhaps most) of Japan's martial arts teachers refused to listen to him.

I drew a square in the air with my fingers and said that many martial arts practitioners live inside a box; they reject anything that doesn't fit into their particular “boxes.” He laughed a nodded enthusiastically. I told him about Naka sensei. He replied that he knew him well; Naka sensei often trained with him! I might have known.

I told Hino sensei that I have often encountered the same problem. After explaining and demonstrating how a particular technique should be done according to certain laws of physics and kinesiology, I am sometimes told, “Well, we don't do it that way.” I've learned to just shrug it off; if they're happy trying to apply techniques regardless of what physics says, that's fine. One should be kind to blind men.

As martial arts devotees of one kind or another, we've all grown up in “boxes” of various dimensions. And I think it's often a good idea to step outside of that box and investigate our surroundings... I'm not saying that you should throw the box away; there are reasons for it but it's good to find out what else is out there.